


An Alien Concept

by KipRussel



Series: Mind Full [3]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies), Pacific Rim Uprising - Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 05:26:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15656685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KipRussel/pseuds/KipRussel
Summary: “I really don’t think Dr. Geiszler would appreciate you talking to him like that, Hermann.”“Don’t talk about him like... like that,” Hermann said, quieter than he meant to. A wicked grin spread across Newt’s face.“Like he isn’t here? Because he isn’t.”With the discovery of Alice, Hermann finds himself faced with an uncomfortable reality. It just may lead him to the answers he needs to free his friend-- or drag him into the abyss as well.





	An Alien Concept

**Author's Note:**

> (Part of the Mind Full series.)

Hermann Gottlieb received the call from Liwen Shao’s head of security three days before. Another lab member brought him the phone, concern written across their face, stating it was urgent. Hermann had hardly even said a cautious ‘hello’ before the guard at the other end launched into a tirade.

“Slow down, just hold on a moment!” he sputtered. “ _What_ exactly happened?” The line remained quiet. With each passing second, Hermann felt the sickening feeling in his stomach grow. The guard on the phone finally spat out an answer.

“We need you to come get this _thing_ he had in his apartment.”

* * *

 The Kaiju brain had been carefully packaged, guarded, and transported to the Moyulan Shatterdome. Hermann had wiped off the garish writing on the side of the tank before any other staff could see it.

“Alice.”

Newt had scrawled her-- _its_ name on the side in lipstick, complete with a heart. Hermann didn’t know what to think about it. He didn’t want to think about it. He almost threw up, the first time he saw it. That was when he saw the PONS unit, and the chair across from it. He began to realizewhat it truly was. He remembered the dinner plans, and all the times Newt had brought it up. Come meet Alice. She’s lovely! The best. She keeps asking about you. She really wants to meet you.

Hermann had to step out for fresh air.

* * *

 The brain had been transported to a newly guarded lab back on base. The tank gave off a low hum, plugged into an outlet in a tangle of chunky wires. Nearly every qualified (and some unqualified) staff member on board had inspected it, out of scientific question or morbid curiosity. Jake Pentecost had come by, looking it over with Nate. Jake even mentioned that he “knew a guy” that would kill to take a look at it. Before he could step out with the other ranger, Hermann had caught his arm. Suggested his theory to him.

“I believe the Precursors are keeping their hold on Newt by convincing him to drift with this.” Hermann whispered, grip tight on the fabric of Jake’s sleeve. “I...I don’t even know if he realizes fully what he was doing and what this was.” Jake took in the worried intensity in Gottlieb’s eyes, nodding slowly.

“So what are you thinking?” Hermann motioned Jake back over to the tank, still speaking quietly, though now no one else was with them.

Except the brain.

“I hypothesize that the Precursors may already be losing their grip somewhat on Newt. He hasn’t drifted with them the whole time he’s been in PPDC custody. Perhaps...perhaps they need a fresh connection to keep him under their thumb.”

“Like, a residual drift? You think they’re..they’re _recharging_ by drifting with him?” Hermann gave a curt nod in response.

“It could explain his...erratic behavior, as well.” Hermann winced at the thought, fingers absentmindedly brushing his neck. All of Newt’s behavior had been so far from himself. Part precursor, part delusion. “He--” Hermann stopped himself. “ _They_ are making him believe he needs it. It’s like some junkie trying to go cold turkey.”

The two stood in silence for a moment. The chill of the lab made Hermann shiver, even in his coat. The brain’s tendrils moved and twitched.

Hermann tightened his grip on his cane a moment, watching Jake’s reflection in the glass of the tank. “I do...have a second part to this theory.” Jake turned, pulled out of his line of thought, and looked at the scientist with raised brows.

“Go on.”

“I think...if I’m right, the Precursors are only given strength if they manage to drift with Newt frequently, so they may be losing their grip over him. How fast, I don’t know, but, if…” Hermann sighed. He knew this would never be allowed. “If another human was to drift with Newt--”

“Gottlieb--”

“I think it could help bring Newt back,” Hermann raised his voice, rushing to finish. “Pull him out of the Precursor’s grasp. Remind him who he is.”

“Gottlieb,” Jake said again. His voice was firm, but rife with empathy. For a brief moment, when Hermann turned to look at him, he saw a flicker of Stacker Pentecost. “I trust your understanding of what’s happening. But I can’t just give you permission to drift with a prisoner, no matter who he is, even with all this stuff going on. But…” Jake turned back to the tank, mulling things over. “You do have my permission to look into it. _Just_ you, don’t tell anybody, don’t let anyone else get involved. Not everyone has the same…”

“Integrity?”

“I was going to say ‘balls to be in the same room as a guy with kaiju in his head’ but, yeah. Run some tests. Talk to him. Do what you need to do. If you find something, let me know. Maybe I can bring your idea to the council.”

“Yes. Yes I’d-- I’d much appreciate that, thank you,” Hermann said, a smile ghosting across his face. He leaned his cane against the desk and took a seat opposite the brain. It raised a tendril and pressed it against the glass. Hermann gave the case a firm _thump_ with his cane, and the tendril dropped.

“Hermann,” Jake started gently. Startled, Hermann turned to look up at him. He thought Jake had already turned and left. “I hope you can get your friend back. I really hope you do. He seems like he was a cool and smart guy before... all this. But…” Jake drummed his fingers on the doorframe. “We need you, too. Be careful not to lose yourself in this.”

Hermann thought for a moment, then slowly nodded. “Yes sir.”

* * *

 The contraption set up across the desk was certainly a new sight in the solitary cell. Antennas stretched up from the computer, a mess of cords plugged into the side. They spilled across the table and onto the floor, climbing up to Newt’s head, where a net of white wires was stretched over him like an ill-fitted hair net. So far, thankfully, he hadn’t made any attempts to shake it off. Save for a few cheeky comments from the Precursors asking about what Hermann was trying, they were being oddly compliant.

“Alright,” Hermann muttered to himself, pulling open the program on the computer. “Let’s see how much of a connection you really have.”

“If I pass this test do I get to go free?” The Precursors asked with a grin. “We’d--” They paused. “ _I’d_ love that.”

“Oh, stuff it, why don’t you?” Hermann grumbled, watching the readings begin to come in. He could feel Newt’s glare burning into him from the chair in the middle of the room.

“I really don’t think Dr. Geiszler would appreciate you talking to him like that, Hermann.”

“Don’t talk about him like... like that,” Hermann said, quieter than he meant to. A wicked grin spread across Newt’s face.

“Like he isn’t here? Because he isn’t.”

They chuckled, then let the silence fill the air.

"You know, Hermann.” The Precursors paused, letting the weight of their words settle. Letting Hermann squirm. “He invited you over for to meet ‘Alice’ for a reason. It wasn't just his confusion, but, that _was_ some of it and let me tell you, listening to him talk about her was _pretty_ great, but, we digress.” Hermann looked at Newt with a newfound nervousness. “We wanted you, Hermann. We wanted you to join us. Newt is only half the genius. Everything in your head... We need your input. Your passion."

"I don't want to hear it."  
"Even he didn't get all of it. We saw all the memories. Your math? _Unmatched_ , dude. Hey, you even figured out how the breaches worked and knew how many Kaiju were coming through. You drifted and saw the Kaiju, the breach, the other side. You saved Newt’s life!” they said, laughing, leaning as far forward as the restraints would allow. In a blink all emotion drained from his face. They sat straight, locked eyes with Hermann. “And he didn't appreciate it all. None of them did.” Now, they smirked. “We do. Come see for yourself. It’s just a drift away."

Hermann was frozen, eyes locked on the floor. “I don’t ever want to _ever_ relive the horror of what we saw that day.”

“Oh, what, the nightmares?” The Precursors asked. The other scientist flinched. “Hermann, the answer is right in front of you. It’s _withdrawal_ .” He...they said it like it was so obvious, like he must have considered it before. Hermann didn’t want to consider the implications. “You remember the rush, right? We can give that back to you. Then you won’t think about the nightmares. You won’t need to worry about them anymore. You wouldn’t need to worry about _anything_ anymore,” The Precursors laugh echoed in the small room. “Let’s guess, you’re running these tests because of drift connections, right?”

Hermann didn’t answer.

“The brain is right there in your lab. They gave you full access. The answers are right there, Gottlieb. Dr. Geiszler is in the drift. Run your tests there. Try it out for yourself.”

The air was thick. Oppressive. The Precursors wouldn’t take their gaze off Hermann. The ache in Hermann’s head thrummed. Louder and louder in his ears and in his mind, blood pounding in his head until he couldn’t even hear, vision blurring.

Was Newt really gone? What if that was the way to get him back? All the answers could lie within the Kaiju brain. It worked for Newt the first time. Could Hermann get him back that way, could Hermann be the hero this time? Pull him free? Maybe, finally, his peers would listen to him, finally appreciate all his hard work.

No.

No, what was he thinking?

In a sudden fervor Hermann snatched up his cane bolted out the door.

“We’ll see you in the drift.” called the rumbling, abyssal voice of the Precursors as the door shut. 

Hermann was shaking. First, with fear. Had the aliens really chased Newt so far back into his own head that he wasn't even there anymore? And how did they get Hermann to even _consider_ the idea of drifting with a Kaiju again? How could he think that? After that first experience, after watching his friend get manipulated and controlled, after the attacks, after _everything_? Then, in a rush, he was shaking with anger. How dare they? How _dare_ they?

He spun on his heel and marched back into the cell.

“Back so soon?” They asked.

“Shut up.” They listened. Hermann loomed, marching right up to the chair, imposing. “How _dare_ you,” he seethed. “How _dare_ you try and manipulate me _._ Use Newton against me. I know he’s still there, _I know_ , and you dare have the audacity to, to _violate_ and _use_ him like this when you’re about to lose. Why don’t you just _give up_ if you’re all this helpless. You have already _lost._ _Just let him go_.” Hermann stared the Precursors down, fuming.

They met his eye contact with defiance. Newt’s eyes searched Hermann’s face. Something in Hermann was waiting for Newt to answer. For the Precursors to release him, for his friend to come back to the surface.

Newt slowly shook his head, a foreign look in his eye, lip curling in disgust. They leaned forward in the seat, sizing Hermann up.

“ _Weak_ ,” the Precursors spat. “And we thought you had the guts.”

Hermann’s rage melted into a burning fear that turned his stomach round. Hermann felt the walls closing in on him, his breath escaping him.

Newt was sat in front him. Seeping hatred. Disgust. Someone alien.

The very monsters that haunted his nights had found him again. Inescapable. And they had his best friend held hostage.

By the time Hermann made it out the door and down the hall, tears were already leaving tracks on his face. The computer and all the data were left and forgotten.

A quiet voice somewhere told him that Newt was, too.

* * *

 

Jake Pentecost nearly flattened Hermann when he rushed out the door of the lab. He’d been following Hermann’s instructions and running the same brain wave analyses on the Kaiju specimen. It wasn’t really how he wanted to spend his afternoon. But since the options were “harmless-ish Kaiju brain in a tank” and “crazed Kaiju-possessed man”, he’d take his pick. Hermann wanted to go see the guy anyway.

The brain writhed about in the tank. If it had eyes, he would’ve sworn it was watching him. Someone more familiar with these monsters should be doing this, Jake mused. He didn’t even know the first thing about what a Kaiju brain wave was supposed to look like. Hermann had given him a few comparisons, and told him to look for anything “unusual”. Jake had nearly answered that everything about Kaiju was unusual, but he held his tongue, hooked the computer up to the tank, and kicked back in a chair, watching the readout.

Then Jake found out what “unusual” was. He had pinged Hermann over the radio. “Gottlieb, are you seeing the same thing I am?” Jake tapped his fingers on the desk. “Gottlieb?” 30 seconds passed. A minute. Five. No answer. The brain tapped on the glass. Jake remembered exactly what Hermann was alone with in a room. He blasted out of the lab door of as Hermann walked through it. He would’ve hit the floor if Jake hadn’t caught the man.

“Gottlieb! I’ve been trying to contact you the whole time, what the hell happened?” Hermann steadied himself, fumbling for an answer.

“I-- well-- the--”

“You got the same readings as me, right?” Jake asked, holding Hermann by the shoulders. Hermann blinked, wiping his face.

“What?”

“Look, I don’t know _jack_ about Kaiju but you _need_ to see this. It _cannot_ be normal.”

* * *

The dim glow of the various screens, projections, and tank lit the labspace a pale blue. The clock on the wall ticked over to 3:00 am. The two men had checked and rechecked the data over and over until they were sure. Beyond sure.

Hermann was right. Newt’s link to the hivemind ran straight through the Kaiju brain. Now it was a question of how to sever the connection.

Hermann hunched over the table, face illuminated by the touchscreen run across it. Combined with the exhaustion on his gaunt face, it made him look ill. It made him look how he felt.

Jake sat across from him. He had his hand balled in a fist, resting on his mouth. He stared long and hard at the name displayed on the table’s screen.

“You’re sure he’s the only one?” Hermann asked finally, breaking the silence.

“Name another Kaiju expert that isn’t Geiszler or yourself.”

He thought, searching for one. One that didn’t just know all the ways to kill the beast.

“If you have another plan, I’m all ears,” Jake added.

Hermann held up his hands, conceding. “If he is what it takes to get Newt back…”

Accepting the inevitability, Jake sighed, reaching for the table’s screen. For a moment, he hesitated, finger just above the screen, then pressed the _call_ button. The ring filled the room. Then silence. Another ring. Silence.

A click, as the other end answered.

“You have a lot of nerve to call me direct, boy,” a voice growled. Jake tried to pull a smile through his grimace.

“Hannibal Chau. I need your help.”

**Author's Note:**

> A HUGE thank you to cosmicaeronaut who never fails to keep me motivated, keep me rolling, and keep my writing from being a confusing pile of jumbled sentences <3 Part 4 of Mind Full to come soon (I hope!)


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